18 thoughts on “Corrections made on Ryan Hummert memorial”

Am I wrong, But doesn’t it seem like since Dad was mayor, and the Hummert boys basically ran Maplewood for years, ( although they nearly sold us “down the river to Wal-Mart,,I’ll discuss in a moment). This memorial is not necessary. I for one feel terrible for the family’s loss. But have there been other lives lost in service in Maplewood? Perhaps the ones listed as “Having given the ultimate sacrifice” on the Plaque that used to be attached to the concrete base out front of the park ( It was a memorial to the Maplewood boys who attended the high school when it was there before becoming Jr. high, that went of the “War to end all Wars” and never returned) Let’s just tear down THAT memory and replace it with one from a child of the guy who tried desperately to sell Manchester to Wal-Mart and Sam’s ( Big Bend to Sutton) and when they realized they had the “Pace” ( used to be a “Sam’s knockoff”) right down the street, the deal fell through, but Andy had already signed away his future and was packing his bags to head to Florida ,, never to return and face these people again. I’m just stunned at how we try and say we’re trying to hold onto our history,, but let’s just “sweep” what we don’t want to hear under the “past” rug,,, Remember, “Those who forget the past, are destined to repeat it” ….

Ryan’s death was horrible, but this is ridiculous. Two lots are vacant, the park’s been named (and we always must use the first and last names), there’s a plaque that provides a weirdly large amount of detail and soon a statue that’s too large for the small park, that is placed in a way that takes up play space AND kids have to stay off it? Are people being polite or am I the only one who thinks this is overblown?

Again, the death was tragic, but this goes way past honoring into ego. On whose part, I don’t know. Entire groups of veterans are honored with far less. Who is paying for this? Much of it feels like a private memorial done in a public place.

No, you are not alone in thinking the memorial is overblown. Many of us agree. We are not against a tribute, but the scale of this memorial is entirely too big, and it’s in the wrong place. And two flag poles only adds to the sense of grandiosity.

I agree with you that the copy on the inscription is long and a bit strange. Why it includes Ryan Hummert’s high school athletic career, and the fact that he enjoyed visiting Panama City, St. Augustine, and Cancun is beyond me.

Others don’t agree with these views, and I understand. That’s the way it always goes with public art, public sculptures, public monuments and memorials.

I live next to the park, and I’ll likely walk over for the dedication. And one big question will be on my mind: What on earth are we going to do the next time somebody dies in the line of duty?

You’re not alone, absolutely not. A case where you hear they’re doing a tribute and think, “Oh, that’s nice.” But then you see the amount of the park they’re carving up for it and think, “Hmmm, that seems outsized.” Then you see the size of the memorial itself, and the space it takes up (hint: kids used that hill, kids enjoy that) and think, “Wait, who was making the decision here?” And you see how long it took to construct. And you see the many mistakes that were nearly sand-blasted into it. And the final kickers are the uncomfortably long and large biography and the fact they just built this giant memorial with what are essentially “stay off it, kids” signs in a place heavily used by…kids.

Because it was a terrible tragedy, there seems to have been a reluctance to provide any constructive, critical thinking at these points in the process. So the execution looks extravagant…the size of a war memorial that now dominates the space and occupies the view of the downtown skyline. Now people who live here — and experienced that day and this tragedy too, and see the reminder every day in the empty lots down the street — have…this.

You are not alone at all in thinking this. I find it grandiose and tacky. And you hit the nail on the head saying that entire groups of veterans are honored with less. That really puts it in perspective.

This is really too important to mess up something as simple as the grammar and spelling. Can we please get it right before it is literally etched in stone? This is a 5-10-minute job for a decent editor.

In Case You Missed It

Many of the readers of 40 South News will be familiar with my blog about the history of Maplewood, Missouri from my previous posts on other sites. Since this is my first blog post for 40 South News I’ve decided to start with the earliest information regarding Maplewood.